Houston – The Harris County Sheriff's Office has issued a statement regarding the shooting of a family pet.
According to investigators, deputies responded to a terroristic threat involving a firearm at a home on the 5100 block of Sprey Drive.
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The person who reported the threat told deputies there were three dogs inside the home who would likely react to first responders.
Dispatchers told the person to secure the dogs to prevent incident.
But investigators said when a deputy arrived, one dog approached her aggressively.
In fear for her safety, deputies said she opened fire, hitting the dog.
Two civilians were also hurt by a ricochet from the ground.
The Harris County Sheriff's Office said it's a pet owners' responsibility to secure their animals to prevent an aggressive interaction with first responders.
The Sheriff's Office said the training academy offers 14 hours of training for dealing with animal interactions.